Security researchers from Kryptowire have found a secret backdoor in the firmware of many Android smartphones sold in the US. Adups Technology Co. Ltd. manufactures and sells a FOTA (Firmware Over The Air) update software system. The system gathers information on phone owners and sends it to a server in China. The company brags that its firmware runs on over 700 million Android devices, but it’s unclear how many of these run the update system. Backdoored FOTA update system is found in the popular BLU R1 HD smartphone.
Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/secret-backdoor-in-some-low-priced-android-phones-sent-data-to-a-server-in-china/